Jobs, income and commuting in Norco, LA
Commuters spend 22 minutes getting to work on average, where Louisiana has 26 and the U.S. 26. Norco grades B− for jobs and income and B for walkability. Only 7% work in Norco; the top destination outside it is Luling (10%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Norco: the gist
Norco makes and builds things
84% of the jobs based in Norco are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Norco residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 25%. The jobs ↓
The jobs in Norco pay better than its residents’ jobs
90% of the jobs based in Norco pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 62% of the jobs Norco residents hold. 96% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Norco. The jobs ↓
Norco is where the jobs are
Norco has 2,313 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Norco than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Norco fell from 3,308 in 2013 to 2,313 in 2023, −30%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Norco’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Norco is better than 53% of U.S. towns, #37 of 161 in Louisiana. Job access by car holds Norco’s grade up (ahead of 79% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (14.8%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Norco could be anywhere from C− to A.
Making and building: 84% of jobs based in Norco
2,313 jobs are based in Norco.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Norco, 2013 → 2023: 3,308 → 2,313. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Norco’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of Norco
On a workday 1,291 residents head out to work, 100 work right here, and 2,213 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,700 people are in Norco on a workday afternoon, 33% more than live here.
1.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Norco’s workers come from
Where Norco clocks in
10% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 22 minutes each way, quicker than most of Louisiana
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Norco workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,251 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Half of Norco commutes less than 14 miles
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Getting around Norco: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Norco is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns, #63 of 161 in Louisiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Louisiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,308 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.2% of Norco households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Norco’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,800, Norco ranks 2,281st of 5,131 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Bayou Gauche LA | 1,908 | $163K | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 287 | Hahnville LA | 3,520 | $101K | 6.7% | 0.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 300 | Montz LA | 2,074 | $92K | 4.7% | 0.2% | <1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,279 | Three Rivers CA | 2,282 | $86K | 5.7% | 3.2% | 9% | B− |
| 2,280 | Kealakekua HI | 1,919 | $103K | 7.2% | 1.0% | 17% | B− |
| 2,281 | Norco LA | 2,781 | $71K | 14.8% | 3.9% | 7% | B− |
| 2,282 | Pottsville AR | 3,326 | $69K | 11.9% | 2.2% | 5% | B− |
| 2,283 | Randolph NY | 2,405 | $77K | 9.1% | 2.8% | 19% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,131 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Norco, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
Norco and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Hahnville (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Norco’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Norco: questions
What is the median household income in Norco?
$71,220 (±$12,724) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Norco?
14.8%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Norco?
22 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Norco work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Luling (10%, 8 mi), Metairie (10%, 14 mi), New Orleans (9%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Norco walkable?
Norco is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 9.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Norco without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Norco, from the people who make the trip.
More of Norco
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.